PAGASA Bureaucracy 3: On Giving Local Names to Storms with International Names

I have been wondering before, so I asked PAGASA via twitter, why do they have to give local names to storms with international names already? It only creates some confusion for people here who track the storms'  movement from the SCS/WPS or Pacific Ocean to the Philippines to Hong Kong or Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Korea, or Japan.

I asked PAGASA about it, zero reply. See here,
PAGASA Bureaucracy 1: On Temperature Data, July 14, 2011.

Today, I saw Dr. Mahar Lagmay's tweets and since he's a friend in UP and he seems to be working for PAGASA's NOAH project, I asked him the same question. Here is our conversation between 8:30 to 9:45am today. A friend also from UP, Leo Venezuela, joined the conversation.
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Mahar Lagmay ‏@nababaha
Latest satellite image in the Project NOAH website. http://pic.twitter.com/ytxRVgrc

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@nababaha Can PAGASA stop giving local names to storms w/ intl name already? It adds confusion to people who track d storm across countries

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky - is this all in the name of misplaced nationalism?

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@levenezu @nababaha Not abt nationalism, I think PAGASA guys put names of thr kids frnds as storms local name. Old practice, shd discontinue

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha - That's such crapola if indeed true. Terrible.

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha - Even worse actually if true. The local meteorologists will be the laughing stock of their foreign peers.

Mahar Lagmay ‏@nababaha
@Noysky @levenezu Nonoy and Leo, please stop.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@levenezu @nababaha I see no reason why PAGASA give local names except nepotism. Intl media & meteorological agencies only use intl names.

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@nababaha @Noysky -But what is indeed PAGASA's rationale for giving local names?

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@nababaha @levenezu I asked PAGASA about it before several times, they give zero answer. Perhaps you can, but you want us to stop asking?

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@nababaha @Noysky -Mahar, that is very unfair for you to ask us to stop when what we ask are legitimate questions.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@levenezu @nababaha PAGASA and Mahar napipikon? Not good. We are asking a legitimate Q, give a good answer. Gobyerno gusto pat d back lang?

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha -There's a new tropical storm with IGME as the local name. What process went into giving it that name?

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha -That shouldn't be a national security concern naman 'di ba? Also, we are taxpayers.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@levenezu @nababaha When my friend in HK talked abt big typhoon coming, I had to search d web if "Helen" & "Kai tak" were d same. They were.

Mahar Lagmay ‏@nababaha
You are entitled to your opinions but please exclude my name from your conversation.

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha - Mahar, we taxpayers are waiting for your answer. Ok nga dito sa Twitter, your answer will reach a large audience.

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@nababaha @noysky - They are legitimate questions. They involve your agency.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@nababaha @levenezu Only asking a valid Q that PAGASA itself does not answer. Is it nepotism or what? If you cant give an answer just say it

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha - Do you want us to ask now or in #Congress when we ask our representatives to ask you themselves?

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@nababaha @noysky -It's the process and not the name. So why not simplify things and just adopt the int'l name for tropical storms?

Mahar Lagmay ‏@nababaha
The answer is there are a lot more important concerns now than wanting to change a name from Filipino to English.

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@nababaha @noysky -You don't need to come up with a name in English. All you need to do is use the int'l name. Simplifies everything.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@nababaha @levenezu At least Mahar answered, PAGASA never. You don't need to create any Filipino name, just use existing storms' intl names.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@nababaha @levenezu My hypothesis confirmed. PAGASA giving local name to storms w intl name only for nepotism purpose. But add pub confusion

Leo Venezuela™ ‏@levenezu
@Noysky @nababaha - Good luck then in PAGASA's next budget hearing.

Nonoy Oplas ‏@Noysky
@levenezu @nababaha Maybe some Congressmen kids' names were used as storms' local names by PAGASA, and the latter get their budget request?
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No further tweets and conversation after that. I was just wondering why Mahar could be pikon when asked that simple question, although he answered later.

See also: PAGASA Bureaucracy 2: Deregulate Weather Forecasting, Privatize PAGASA, December 20, 2011.